Archbishops Ignatius Ayau Kaigama of Jos, president of the Bishops Conference of Nigeria, denounced attacks by Boko Haram, a local terrorist organization. The attacks which were first aimed at Christians, he said, have escalated to the point where the rebel group is slaughtering fellow Muslims as well.

Thousands have been killed since Boko Haram began attacking Nigeria in 2009. The most recent massacre took place in the College of Agriculture in the northern part of the country. The attack claimed the lives of 40 people, the majority of whom were Muslim.

"In the beginning the aim of Boko Haram was to attack Christians in order to destabilize the community,” Archbishop Kaigama stated in an interview with Fides News Agency.

“But now the ferocity of the members of this movement has no limits to the point of slaughtering even those who should be their fellow Muslims. Boko Haram has made further progress in the sophistication and ferocity of their attacks but it is now made up of fanatics who have lost their original goal.”

The attacks were condemned by Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan who addressed the nation. President Jonathan also compared the actions of Boko Haram with the recent attack by Islamic extremists at shopping mall in Nairobi.